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Restaurant industry expects to add 508K jobs this summer

May 23, 2014

According to new projections from the National Restaurant Association, the restaurant industry expects to add 508,000 jobs this summer. If these expectations are met, it will mark the second consecutive year in which restaurants add at least half a million jobs during the season.

"Summer is the busiest season for restaurants in most parts of the country, and the uptick in business creates additional job opportunities at all levels of a restaurant operation," NRA Chief Economist Bruce Grindy said in a news release. "In many states with tourism-driven economies, restaurants are prime destinations for both tourists and job-seekers."

The projections are driven by an improving economy and consumers’ pent-up demand. In 2013, eating and drinking establishments added a record 538,800 summer jobs. The previous high was 465,400 summer jobs added in 2011, Grindy said.

The states projected to add the most eating and drinking place jobs during the 2014 summer season are:

California (47,600)

New York (46,300)

Massachusetts (30,400)

New Jersey (28,000)

Texas (27,200)

Ohio (22,400) and

Michigan (21,600).

The states projected to register the largest proportional employment increase during the 2014 summer season are:

Maine (33.2 percent increase)

Alaska (21.0 percent increase)

Delaware (18.0 percent increase)

New Hampshire (16.5 percent increase) and

Rhode Island (15.7 percent increase).

The restaurant industry is usually the nation's second-largest creator of summer jobs, ranking only behind the construction industry, the release said.